Many persons struggle with punctuality in the workplace. As a small business owner, you have likely heard the same excuses repeatedly: the traffic was excessive, my car broke down, the bus was late, my alarm clock did not go off and so on. An occasional instance poses no real issue, but repeated episodes of tardiness are cause for action. Be clear and firm with your employees so they will adhere to this important workplace regulation.

1

Give each employee a copy of his work schedule at least one week in advance. Keep a master copy for yourself so you will be able to verify the information if questions arise regarding the times you have set.

2

Remind the employee of the importance of being on time after the first infraction. Listen to the reason she gives for her lateness. Be fair in your appraisal of its validity and give honest feedback. For instance, if the tardy incident resulted from highway traffic being halted due to a wreck, you could agree that it was a unfortunate event not likely to be repeated.

3

Set up a conference with any employee who is repeatedly tardy to work. According to Gary M. Stein, writer for Small Business Review, you should speak calmly and approach the situation from a problem-solving standpoint. Seek to discover the reason for this pattern of tardiness. Work with your staff member to resolve the situation. For instance, if your employee is having difficulty getting to work on time due to getting his children off to school, you might be able to change his schedule so that he is scheduled to come in a half hour later and stay at work a half hour longer.

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4

State clearly the consequences for instances of tardiness within a specified period. For instance, during a six-month period, the first incident could incur a reminder, the second a verbal warning, the third a conference with you and the fourth a written warning. Business Management Daily suggests another confidential meeting with the employee once the problem has escalated to the level of a written warning. Note the problem in the warning, and ask the employee to read and sign it. Keep the note in the employee's file. You should also inform the employee that if the tardiness continues after this measure, more serious actions will be taken, such as a suspension, and could lead to eventual termination.

Warnings

Hold a business-wide meeting to address the subject of tardiness if you have more than one employee who is habitually late. Explain how being tardy affects everyone in the workplace, not just the employees who are late. Take suggestions from employees on how to address the issue so your team is working on a resolution to this critical problem together.

Tips

Encourage employees to be on time with incentives such as a croissants and bagel breakfast for early birds.

References

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About the Author

Lisa Mooney has been a professional writer for more than 18 years. She has worked with various clients including many Fortune 500 companies such as Pinkerton Inc. She has written for many publications including Woman's World, Boy's Life and Dark Horizons. Mooney holds bachelor's degrees in both English and biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.